Relinquished

Katie Bell lay on her back, looking up at the darkening sky. She had just had Quidditch Practice but she had no wish to go back to Gryffindor Tower. Oliver had been particularly brutal today, telling her that she was doing everything wrong... those were his exact words.

Katie sighed, tears almost coming to her eyes and rolled onto her side. She wouldn't let Oliver Wood get to her. All he had ever done was look down his nose at her. Nothing she ever did was good enough for Mister Wood, Quidditch Captain Extraordinaire. She was to slow, to fast, to clumsy. Katie moaned and rolled back onto her back.

Looking up, she realized that the sun had set and now the only light left was the bored light of the moon and the stars.

Slowly she pulled herself to her feet. She knew she shouldn't be outside at night, alone. Lately Voldemort had been rising, becoming stronger than ever and it wasn't safe even on the grounds of Hogwarts.

She started walking back towards the school when she saw something move in the darkness. She tried to see whatever it was but all she could make out was a black blur. It could be human... or it could be some bush swaying in the wind, she thought. Slowly she took a deep breath before cautiously starting to walk back towards Hogwarts.

Hogwarts had just come into view when she next saw the movement. She only saw it out of the corner of her eye but she was now quite sure that someone was following her. Katie stopped in her tracks and stared hard into the darkness at her pursuer but she couldn't quite make out who it was.

Katie spun around and started to run down the hill towards Hogwarts. Behind her she could hear the footsteps of who ever was behind her and someone shouting, "I've got her!"

Then she felt a heavy weight against her back and she went toppling to the ground. Someone was lying on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She could feel heavy breathing on the back of her neck as her attacker grabbed her shoulders and pulled her around onto her back.

She stared up at the face above her. It was covered by a white mask of a Deatheater and Katie shivered and shrunk away from the Deatheater.

There were footsteps behind them and Katie saw the bottom of another Deatheater's robes.

"Good job Flint," the other Deatheater said, his voice sounding harsh and jagged as Katie let out a small sob. Flint... Marcus Flint? Ex- captain of the Slytherin quidditch team? Shit! Katie's mind screamed. The guy was a bastard with his terrible teeth and trollish tendencies. "Look after the girl," the other Deatheater said and then walked away.

Flint slowly pushed himself off Katie, although he still held her arms down so she couldn't move.

"Little Katie Bell," he murmured, "still playing Quidditch I see," he said as he took a good look down her body, probably trying to imagine what was under her quidditch robes. "Well, you've certainly grown up girl. Too good for Gryffindor, you are," he laughed.

Katie stared up at him horrified, and opened her mouth to scream.

Flint quickly slid his mask off, revealing his face in the moon light. Katie just stared up at him, frozen for a moment. He looked so beautiful; you wouldn't know that he had the most horrible teeth ever seen in ‘The History of Hogwarts.’ He looked down at her, and... smiled.

Katie heard herself gasp. Instead of leering with his hideous teeth, his mouth gleamed with straight, white, polished teeth. She couldn't believe it! He was actually good-looking now.

Seeing the expression on her face, Flint smirked and leaned down closer to her. That was when Katie realized his original intent and opened her mouth to scream again but Flint was quick and before a sound could come out of her mouth, Flint was kissing her hard on the lips.

For a moment Katie just lay there, confused with what was happening and then she felt Marcus' tongue trying to pry apart her lips and she quickly opened her mouth to him and started to kiss him back. She felt him wrap his arms around her and oddly Katie felt safe. She sighed and strung her arms around his neck, slowly moving her hands threw his hair.

Suddenly there was an explosion and she felt Marcus roll off of her, grab a hold of her arm and pull her to her feet.

They turned around to see Hogwarts burning and Katie let out a cry.

Her home was burning to the ground and her friends were in there. Katie started to run but Flint grabbed her arm fast. She turned and glared at him. "Let me go, Flint!"

"Not a chance in hell, Bell! If you go down there, you'll die," he told her void of all emotion, although she thought he was just used to hiding his feelings.

"My friends are down there," she screamed at him.

Flint's face softened but he still didn't let her go, "Sometimes you have to let bad things happen. Maybe it's fate, Katie Bell."

Katie could feel the tears stinging her eyes as they made their way down her face.

Flint laughed at her tears. "If you want to survive, you'll suck in your tears and keep your feelings to yourself. Do you want to live Bell?"

Katie looked down towards Hogwarts where the Deatheaters had started to close in around the burning building. They threw curses at the children who streamed out of the school, maiming, injuring and killing the inhabitants. She turned and looked up into Flint's dark brown eyes and whispered, "Not like that."

Flint glared at her and grabbed her arm, starting to pull her towards the Forbidden Forest. Katie tried to plant her feet in the ground but he was too strong and pulled her easily across the grounds toward the forest.

Katie twisted in his arms towards the school, trying to pull herself free. She could see the teachers as they ran across the lawns, throwing curses at the Deatheaters. They were little black figures and each time one of the dark figures fell, Katie gave another sniff.

Flint scowled down at the girl as she struggled, crying. It was obvious that she didn't have the drive to live. He heard her take a deep breath and then his ears were deafened by her scream. Flint watched as some of the Deatheaters and the teachers turned to look for who had screamed and Marcus realized that she was about to scream again.

Quickly his hand flew to her mouth, muffling the sound that would have come out of her mouth and he started to drag her towards the forest. He knew that was where the Deatheaters would return, with or without prisoners. They were to use their own discression.

They entered the forest, where the trees grew closer together, hiding most of the moon light. The further they walked, the darker it became until they could barely see the light from the stars and moon. Katie had stopped fighting and was now staying as close to Marcus as she possibly could. It dawned on Marcus that she was probably scared of the big, dark forest since she had always been forbidden to enter its dark canopy. Marcus found a small, over grown path and started pulling Katie down it, towards their destination, the camp of the Deatheaters and Katie never said a word.

The further away from Hogwarts they were, the more alive the forest became. Marcus listened as owls swooped over head and small animals rustled the bushes. In the distance they heard the sound of a wolf howl and another wolf answer the first's call. Katie jumped, grabbing a hold of Marcus' robes and Marcus found himself laughing at the small blond.

"Don't make too much noise, Bell," he whispered menacingly, "you might attract some unwanted attention."

Katie gulped and clutched his robes tighter. Marcus could feel her press against his back, walking closer to him, looking for protection. "Do you want me, Bell?" he asked lewdly, waiting for the girl's reaction.

She quickly let go of his robes and pushed Marcus violently. "I would never have touched you with a ten foot pole except that you forced yourself on to me," she hissed, angrily.

Marcus would have tumbled to the forest floor but he had expected that reaction. It was one well known by him, although he was surprised that the Gryffindor hadn't thrown something in about his troll blood. "Why wouldn't you do that Bell?" he asked slyly. "Is it because you think you're better than me? Because I'm not pureblooded? Because I'm Slytherin?"

Katie laughed. "No, Flint. I don't have as many prejudices as you. I dislike you, because you are a cheat, a deatheater and an over all bad person."

Marcus turned around and glared at the girl. "How would you know I'm a bad person Bell?" he snapped savagely. "You've never once talked to me. When I was still at Hogwarts, you avoided me at all costs."

"I know you're a bad person, because Oliver told me," Katie answered, obviously trying to start a fight with him. Everyone knew how Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood hated each other. There was no rivalry that topped the one between the two of them, although the hatred between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy came pretty close at times. Marcus hated Wood because he was a smug bastard who always beat him in Quidditch, Wood hated Marcus because he was Slytherin and the competition and he had been taught to hate the competition, particularly Slytherins.

"Yes," Marcus found himself drawing, "I'm such a terrible person and Wood's a bloody saint. Open your eyes girly and make your own decisions. Hell, I'm not even saying I'm a good person but don't fucking judge me from what Wood's told you because he has a bias opinion."

"Wow, complicated word for a half-blooded Slytherin, Flint," Katie hissed coldly. "I didn't know your vocabulary stretched that far."

Marcus spun around, grabbed Katie's wrist and started to drag her towards the deatheaters' camp which he could now see in the distance. "You do not talk to me like that Bell. The Deatheaters won't take any of your lip, so I suggest you don't try it."

Katie opened her mouth like she might say something but then she angrily closed it. She knew better than to get Flint mad, well too mad.

Finally they arrived at the camp.

It was dark, and black tents were rung around a fire pit that held ashes from a previous fire.

Marcus marched Katie through the camp to the very farthest tent. They were met by three black cladden deatheaters who glared down at Marcus and Katie through their white masks.

"I see you have brought a prisoner," one deatheater muttered. "What do you plan on doing with her?" he asked.

"I want to keep her. What I decide to do with her is my business, not yours McNair." The Deatheater turned to Marcus and pulled of his white mask to glare at him.

"We need to know if she will be a threat to us. Or you for that matter."

Marcus laughed. "Look at her! She's small; she has no meat on her bones!"

The Deatheater squinted at Katie, taking in her size and everything else about her. His eyes then rested on her house crest. "She's Gryffindor," he stated. "You will give me her wand... now," he threatened and Marcus glared as he stuffed a hand down Katie's robes, taking longer than required to find Katie's wand. He retrieved it and handed it to McNair who glared at both the youths. "Good, now what is her name?"

Marcus looked him in the eye and replied, "Angelina Johnson, she's pureblooded."

It took all of Katie's control not to gasp. He had just lied for her. Her name was not Angelina Johnson, nor was she pureblooded. Her mother was a muggle even though her father was a wizard.

With the matter of Katie's heritage settled, McNair dismissed the two teens. Marcus quickly pulled her away from the older Deatheaters and towards his tent. It was just like the other tents set around the burnt out fire except that it seemed to be in worse condition.

He quickly ushered her inside the tent and said in a harsh voice, "Don't talk. I don't want to hear your voice," before grabbing his wand and admitting a yellow light that read, 'They're listening.”

Please read and review and thanks so much to everyone who read the first, unbelievable version!